Process of permanently sealing an aperture and the seal therefor



R. M. 14n/:2.1mmy PROCESS. 0F PERMANENTLYYSEALING- AN APERTURE AND THB SEALITHEREFOR.

Filedmarchze, 1925 FigLL.

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AUS/a To all lwhom t may concern APatented Nov, 17, 1925. l.

UNITED STATES .PATENT oFFlcE.

RALPH M. LOVEJOY, F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.-

Application led March 26, 1925. Serial No. 18, 469.

Be it known that I, RALrH M. Lovnaor,

a citizen of the United States,` and a resithe form of seal is graphically illustrated in 60 dent of Boston, coun-ty of Suolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Processes' of Permanently Sealing an Aperture andv the Seal Therefor, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is ajspecifica tion, like'characters on the drawing repre-` senting like parts.

This .invention-relates to improvements in processes of'efectively sealing apertures and in closures therefor and the obj ect of. vthe invention is to provide a'simple .and effective means for permanently sealing such apertures.

More particularly the invention consists in providing a cylindrical countersink in the wall of the aperture and. closing the aperture by expanding aconical plate or seal into thecountersinkl by resultant expansive forces which act 1n straight lines extending from the apex of the seal to the basal periphery thereof.

I am aware that for many years it has been customary to seal apertures, such` as, holes in castings by boring a countersink in the-wall of the aperture of somewhat larger diameter thanthe aperture and placing therein a curved metallic plate, such as a piece of boiler plate or specially formed circular segments of a hollow sphere, but I have found by experience that either. of these methods of sealing apertures is defective for the reason that the plate becomes moreorv less crimped as it is forcedinto the plates and does not engage the'wall of the counter. sink with sufficient pressure to form an effective seal. Furthermore, when pressure is applied within the aperture such seals are often readily detached. By the present invention these objections are overcome and a permanent seal produced which will withstand high pressures without leaking andwithout detachment of the seal.

I am also aware that seals for taining receptacles. such as milk bottles have been .used for many years in which the mouth ofthe bottle is provided with a countersink into which a disk of fibrous material, v

body of the receptacle, This, however, dif,

is illustrated liquid amf .of the plate 7 istirst bent to conical form to fers materially from the present invention as will be readily understood.

The process embodying the invention and i the vaccompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the form of seal; j

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view illustrat-4 ing the manner in which the seal is formed erture therein with the seal placed in thecountersink and illustrating also a preferred formof plunger for forcing the seal into place;

- Fig. 5 is a detail view 'showing the portion of the bodv of material having an aperture therein with the seal in place;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating'the components of the resultant elfective force of pressure applied to the-apex of a conical sealing plate and also illustrating in dotted lines the position of a spherically curved sealing'plate relatively to such component lines of force.

The seal embodving the present .invention as illustrated in `Figs. l and '2 is in the fo m 9U of a piece or lplate `l of material, lhaving a permanent set when expanded. of uniform thickness and slightly conical form in which the outer and inner surfaces 2 and 3 of the wall of the piece or .plate correspond respectively to paths o'frevolutions `of straight lines 4 and Ll* respectively about the outerv an'dinner apexes 5 and 6. l

Al preferred' method of forminrr'the plate in Fig. 2 in which a-plate of i100 metal, or other material 7.of uniform thick-v ness, is placed upon a bed or die 8 having a circular aperture 9 therethrough and the closure piece or plate 1 stamped from the plate 7 by a punch 10 which closelv fits the wall of the aperture 9 and is provided with a conical end ll whichengages the plate. As the punch 10 is forced downwardly'upon the plate by any suitable means the material no conform to the endof the" punch and upon further descent of the punch the metal is vbase 16 surrounding the aperture.

sheared between the Wall of the punch and the Wall of the aperture so that a conical piece is discharged having'a cylindrical basal periphery 12, the Wall-of which is substantially parallel to the axis of thecone thus formed. l

In the process of using this closure to form a permanent seal for an aperture' 13 in a body of rigid material 14, the Wall of the aperture is provided with a cylindrical countersink 15 which presents an annulr T e conical sealing piece of plate 1 is placed upon the base 16 of the aperture and is expanded to a flat position by pressurewhich is applied to thevapex 'of the cone, preferably by a plunger 17 having a fiat ace 18 engaging the seal and moving in the direction ofthe axis of the cone. By reason of the fact that the conical piece or plate is Aof uniform thickness and has outer and inner surfaces which corresponds respectively to the paths of revolutions of straight lines about the outer and inner apexes of the conical plate, the resultant lines of force act in straight lines from the apex to thc basal periphery of the plate so that the plate is equally expanded in all directions from the 'axis of the cone. This expansive move ment of the disk is a toggle-like action in Which the apex of the cone corresponds to the joint of the toggle arms which are in effect of innite number radiating from the apex of the cone to the basal periphery thereof.

It Will be seen by reference to Fig. 8 that the component lines of force X and Y of the resultant linel of force Z of the pressure applied to the apex'of the plate, the line of force X Which is in the direction of the axis of the cone is far less than the component Y which is atright angles thereto and that inasmuch as the lines of force Z are in the j direction of straight lines the strength of the material of the disk will avoid buckling of the seal, Whereas if the seal is of curved form 'the component lines of force so act upon the curved disk, that the resultants are not straight lines Within the material of the..

plate and the curved seal is so bent When forced into place as to produce crimps of more or less irregular circular form.

It has been found 1n actual practice that seals comprising a segment of a hollow.

sphere which have been crimped during application have fallen out 'upon slight shock vfifty pounds, and even more, Without leakage and Without displacement.

It is to be understood that the Word conical and the phrase paths of revolution oi" straight lines about the outer and inner apexes of the conical piece or plate are used in the mathematical sense, but with such interpretation as Will make them applicable to mechanical constructions which are necessarily not mathematicallyperfect. v

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

A closure for an aperture, the Wall of which is provided with a cylindrical countersink, comprising a plate of rigid material, having a permanent set when expanded, of uniform thickness and of slightly Yconical form in Which the outer and inner RALPH M. LOVEJOY.

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